northern potoo

northern potoo:

Commonly seen perched motionless in an upright position on branches or pots these fairly large birds are found from Mexico south to Costa Rica and on the islands of Jamaica and Hispaniola.

It is most the Pulmage is grey brown with an intricate pattern of black , grey and cream markings. The cheeks are pale with a dark malar eye has a yellow iris which can shine red in light at night . The bird's calls are hoarse and guttural . It is very virtually identical in appearance with the Common Patoo but can be distinguished by the sounds they make .

The Northern patoo has a very different voice consisting of a series of mournful wailing whistles.

It feeds on large insects such as moths or beetles and hunts from a perch sitting and waiting for prey then sallying out to catch it in flight

When they lay eggs only a single egg is laid on a broken branch with no nest material used -not even twigs or dead leaves . Both parents take care of and feeding their young and are involved in incubating the egg before hatching